Recoil check for carbon dioxide cylinders



Aug. 4, 1936. F. B. ALLEN ET AL RECOIL CHECK FOR CARBON DIOXIDECYLINDERS Filed Nov. 19, 1935 INVENTOR FRA/v/r B ALLEN Jcorr f. HLLE/VBY M ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 4, 1936 2,050,032 PATENT OFFICE aaoon. CHECKroa cannon moxrna cma'naas Frank .8. Allen and Scott E. Allen, GlenRidge, N. 1., aaalgnors to G-O-Two Fire Equipment Company, Newark, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Application November 19, 1935, Serial No.50,614

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved" method of and means for,checking the recoil of a container holding highly compressed fluid,such, for instance, as liquefied carbon dioxide.

War vessels are commonly furnished with portable cylinders of liquefiedcarbon dioxide for use in extinguishing fires. The cylinders are usuallymounted at some convenient location on a side wall or a bulkhead and themounting is such that in an emergency the cylinders may be quick- 1ydismounted and put into service. However, in combat there is always thedanger that a cylinder may be punctured by a shot or a fragment of ashell and the sudden release of the highly compressed fluid will resultin a powerful recoil that will tear the cylinder from its mounting andhurl it forth at high velocity. If the shot punctures only one side ofthe cylinder the recoil will result from unbalanced discharge throughthe puncture, but even should the shot pass clear through the cylinder,making openings in diametrically opposite points, a powerful propellingforce will nevertheless be produced as a result of the difference inarea of the opposed orifices. Experiments have shown that when a shot isfired h a cylinder the orifice at the entrance side is smaller than thatat the exit side. The pressure of the liquefied carbon dioxide in thecylinder will be under average conditions over 800 pounds per squareinch, and in numerous tests cylinders punctured by projectiles have beentorn from their mountings and hurled a distance of over 200 feet in thedirection from which the shot came. Obviously, a heavy cylinderpropelled with such force would wreak havoc in confined quarters,particularly since the cylinder would be continuously propelledlike arocket, until all of its liquid carbon dioxide content was exhausted.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of and meansfor anchoring or tethering a cylinder in such a way that the full forceof the recoil will not be abruptly and directly opposed, and the strainon the tether will be kept within safe limits. 1

Another object is to provide a recoil check or tether which may beinstantly released, when desired, to permit of removing the cylinderfrom its mounting for use or test.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tether attached at oneend to the neck of the cylinder, and anchored at the other end to abulkhead or supporting wall. An advantage of such point of attachment isthat it is less likely to be hit because of the smaller exposed area.Another and most important advantage of making the tether fast at theneck is that in case the body 01' the cylinder is punctured the tetherwill not be subjected to the direct force of the recoil, and thecylinder instead of being stopped b up y w be p d and dive ted from itsdirection of flight. The resultant comparatively gradual stopping of thecylinder relieves the tether of sudden excessive strains that mightrupture the tether.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will appear in thefollowing description of a preferred embodiment and thereafter thenovelty and scope of the invention will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a portable cylinder suitablymounted and also provided with our improved recoil check;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a view in section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-# of Fig. 1 showing particularlya readily releasable attachment means between the tether and thecylinder.

In the drawing, a cylinder l containing liquefled carbon dioxide orother highly compressed fluid is provided with a discharge head llscrewed upon the neck i2 of the cylinder. The discharge head may be ofany suitable type, such, for example, as that shown in Patent No.1,974,254, issued'September 18, 1934. The discharge head has a handwheel M operable to puncture the usual sealing disk and release fluidfrom the cylinder into a flexible conduit l5 which termi nates in adischarge horn Hi. This horn is normally held against the side of thecylinder by a spring clip ll secured to the cylinder.

As shown in Fig. 2 the cylinder is normally supported against a bulkheadIS in such a manher that it may be readily withdrawn from the bulkheadwhen desired. The mounting comprises a vertical plate i9 secured to thebulkhead and provided at its upper end with a wall hook which engages anapertured lug 2| projecting from the discharge head I I. At the lowerend of the plate l9 there is a spring clip 22 which partially encirclesthe body of the cylinder I0.

Fitted tightly upon the neck l2 of the cylinder is a collar 24 which hasan apertured lug 25 screwed upon the projecting end of the bolt servesto lock the bolt and hence the cable firmly to the bulkhead.

The pin 21 is provided at its upper end with The opposite an eye 82which may be connected by a chain 33 to the clevis. A spring catch isprovided to hold the pin in engaging position without, however,preventing the pin from being readily removed to permit of disconnectingthe clevis from the lug 25. This spring catch is illustrated in detailin Fig. 4. The pin is transversely bored to receive a ball 34. The boreis reduced slightly at one end so as to retain the ball and yet permitit to project slightly from the surface of the pin. A spring 35 pressesthe ball outwardly and the spring is backed by a plug 36 threaded in thetransverse bore.

The cylinder is readily mounted on the wall or bulkhead ill by hookingthe lug 2! over the wall hookliii and slipping the body of the cylinderinto the spring clip 22. I'hen the tether is made fast by inserting thepin 21 through the alinecl apertures in the clevis and the lug 25. Theball 34 is depressed as the pin is inserted and then springs out toprevent the pin from being accidentally displaced. However, the balldoes not project far enough to prevent intentional withdrawal of thepin. Hence in case of a flre the pin may be instantly withdrawn and thecylinder lifted off its hook. Should the cylinder be pierced by aprojectile while it is mounted and tethered in place the recoil causedby the escaping fluid may tear the cylinder from its mounting, but thecylinder will be checked by the tether from flying off. Since the tetheris applied to the neck of'the cylinder the propelling force will beexerted below the point at which the tether is made fast. Thus thetether will not be sub- Jected to the direct force of the recoil but itwill operate to trip the cylinder and divert its direction of flight.The shorter the tether the better because it will trip the cylinderbefore it has had a chance to gain a high degree of momentum.

We have described a preferred embodiment, but it will be obviousthat'various changes could be made in form, construction and arrangementof .parts without departing from the spirit of our invention, and it isto be understood that we reserve the right to such variation from theactual structure illustrated that falls within the scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. The method of checking the recoil of a cylinder discharging highlycompressed fluid through a puncture in a side wall of the cylinder.which consists in opposing the recoil by applying a tethering force tothe cylinder at a point out of alinement with the recoiling force sothat the force of the recoil will be gradually reduced by diverting thedirection of flight of the cylinder, and continuing said tethering forceuntil the recoiling force has been entirely dissipated.

2. The combination of an elongated cylinder having a reduced neckportion at one end thereof and containing a highly compressed fluid,said cylinder having a normally closed discharge port in said neckportion and a discharge conduit normally connected with said port, afixed support for the cylinder, and a flexible member of high tensilestrength secured at one end to the support and at the other end to saidneck portion.

3. The combination of an elongated cylinder having a reduced neckportion at one end thereof and containing a highly compressed fluid.said cylinder having a normally closed discharge port in said neckportion and a discharge conduit normally connected with said port, afixed support for the cylinder, a cable of high tensile strength securedat one end to the support, and quick detachable means securing the otherend of the cable to said neck portion.

4. The combination with a cylinder adapted to contain highly compressedfluid and having a reduced neck portion, of a support for the cylinder,a collar member fitted upon said neck, a tension element anchored at oneend to the support, a fitting member secured to the opposite end of saidelement, one of said members having a pair of apertured arms and theother having an apertured lug adapted to flt between the arms, and areadily removable pin passing through the apertures of the arms and lugand hinging the members together.

5. The combination with a cylinder adapted to contain highly compressedfluid and having a reduced neck portion, of a support for the cylinder,a collar member fltted upon said neck, a tension element anchored at oneend to the support, a fitting member secured to the opposite end of saidelement, one of said members having a pair of apertured arms and theother having an apertured lug adapted to fit between the arms, a readilyremovable pin passing through the apertures 01 the arms and lug andhinging the members together, and a spring latch arranged to preventaccidental withdrawal of the having at one end a reduced neck portion,said means comprising a hook carried by the wall and on which thecylinder is suspended, a spring clip secured to the wall and engagingthe body of the cylinder, a collar fitted to the neck of the cylinderand having a projecting apertured lug, a cable anchored at one end tothe wall, a clevis fixed to the opposite end of the cable, a pindetachably connecting the clevis to the lug, and a spring latchpreventing accidental withdrawal of the pin.

8. The combination with a cylinder containing highly compressed fluidand exposed to puncture by flying missiles, certain parts of thecylinder presenting a greater exposure to puncture than other parts of afixed support, a flexible tension member secured at one end to thesupport, and quick detachable means securing the other end of saidmember to the cylinder at a point thereon removed from the part thereofmost exposed to puncture, so as to restrain the cylinder in case of apuncture producing an unbalanced discharge of said fluid and to absorbthe recoil of the cylinder gradually by diverting the direction offlight at the cylinder, said memher having sufllcient tensile strengthto restrain the cylinder until the recoiling force has been entirelydissipated.

FRANK B. ALIEN. SCOTT E. ALLEN.

